Monday, May 19, 2014

It's time for a house update.

(Warning, this post is photo-heavy!)

We have an official move-in date, folks! The house won't be finished, but it will be done enough for us to move in by the end of the month (May 30th-31st). We're at such an exciting point, because each bit makes it look more and more like home. The journey to and in building this home has been... unbelievable. The many ways God has provided, the way people have come to our assistance...

My husband and I have always wanted to build our own place, but we thought it impossible for several reasons. First of all, we both felt like a mortgage was not in the cards for us. Been there, done that, and foreclosed. We didn't want to go there again. When a mortgage is off the table, renting seems like the only option, because, um, we didn't (and still don't) have thousands upon thousands of dollars to throw down on a house. I am still having a hard time wrapping my brain around the idea of living in a house without rent or mortgage! (If only we didn't have to pay taxes, eh?)

It's been so amazing to watch God work. A couple weeks ago, the money ran out. I mean, it was out, and at that moment, God came through (as He always does). He always gives us just enough (money, material, help... whatever it may be) to get through to the next step, usually right when we need it. We also needed an oven, and a friend texted me that day saying they had a present for us- their stove/oven (as well as their fridge) from a house they are no longer living in. I burst into tears!

When we started building this home, neither of us were sure how long it would take. Our savings had been depleted. Now here we are and it's so close to being done.

What has really just... I can't even, don't even have the words for... I'm just blown away.... by the help of my brothers and sisters in Christ. There have been several men who have showed up on a weekly basis (often several times a week!) to help out. I can't tell you what that does for my heart... and my husband's. I know these guys have families and hobbies and heck, even a bit of lazying around they'd like to do, but I am so, so grateful that they choose to come pitch in. Most of the work has been exhausting, back-breaking stuff. Having them show up time after time with the attitude of, "Hey, how can I be of use?" makes me feel so incredibly loved. These men have become my brothers.

God has blessed me with an amazing natural family, but I had always longed for a large family. When I was little, I wished for many brothers and sisters. Here I am, a couple months away from my thirtieth birthday, realizing that God has abundantly answered that prayer.

We've had folks that didn't even know us come pitch in. Great times of fellowship have flowed from this project. We've made friends out of strangers who, by the grace and love of God, felt moved to help us.

I love how God takes a house and turns it into so much more. Community. Family. Faith. Prayer. Surrender. It would take an eternity to tell about all the things I've learned and experienced through building our home (and it's not even over yet).

But, I suppose it's time for me to stop talking (er... writing) and post pictures, right? The last time I posted it was March, so I have about two month's worth of photos to share.

Back to God's provision- I am often humbled by how He not only provides for our needs (a roof over our head) but our wants too. Brandon and I had been eyeing this kitchen island we wanted at World Market but we knew it was out of our budget. One day I come to the house to find this box! A friend found out we wanted it and purchased it for us! I was really blown away. I absolutely love that so many things in our home were gifts from friends or things we bought from friends.

Many meals have been eaten upon this stoop.

Septic digging

As I said. Many, many meals.

The girls have looooved tractor rides with Daddy!

Most of our walls downstairs are ship lap (not sure if I spelled that right), but my husband also decided to score sheets of plywood so they looked like planks for some of the rooms (like the washroom). Like their saw set up? Ha!

Yesterday priming and painting the downstairs main room happened. Terry was coated in white paint. I am sure his neck is killing him from spraying the ceiling!

The guys stayed up until midnight getting the final coat on the main room walls. It's milk white, and it looks FANTASTIC. Even at night it feels so fresh and bright! (All those LED can lights help too.)

You can follow our house journey on Instagram under the tag #mchouseyhouse!

Thanks for stopping by!

Please leave a comment to let me know you were here! I love to hear your thoughts! If you have any questions, feel free to email me

talkto @ mandymom . com

You are loved!

Do you know Jesus loves you? Do you know the gospel? Do you really know what grace is or are you caught up in pleasing God and working for salvation? Did you know that is not the gospel?

Paul tells us in Romans that we are made righteous in Christ. Our righteousness is His gift. His death on the cross didn't just give us a clean slate so we could go forth trying to live "good lives"! No! His death on the cross gave us His own very record of righteousness! In Christ you are clean, holy, and pure. You are righteous.

Jesus tells us that the work we are called to do is this: To believe in the one He sent. Believe. That is the message of the gospel. Believe in Christ. Believe His righteousness covers you. He desires a relationship with you- not one built on you trying to meet His expectations. No, you are His daughter or son, and He has met all of His own expectations in Christ. So crawl up in His lap and believe that He is who He says He is and you are who He says you are, friend.

It is belief in Christ that changes our lives and enables us to be who we were made to be in Christ. It is our lack of belief that makes us feel distant from the Lord and has us spinning our wheels in deep ruts. Belief is hard work, even if it doesn't sound like it. This is why the Lord calls us to renew our minds and to focus on those things which are good, true, lovely and pure. Believe Christ and all that He says. It's transforming!